Gardener’s pie

My sister came up with the name for this vegan version of a shepherd’s pie. It takes a little while to create but is definitely worth the effort. Try keeping your vegetables seasonal!

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 30g/1 oz Lucy Bee coconut oil
• 80g/3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, plus 3 tbsp of the oil
• 200g/7 oz onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 250g/8 3/4 oz carrots, peeled and grated
• 200g/7 oz parsnips, peeled and grated
• 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 250g/8 3/4 oz chestnut mushrooms, rinsed and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper (bell pepper), finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin/14 oz green lentils, drained and rinsed
• 300ml/1 1/4 cups vegetable stock (see book page 176 for homemade) with 3 tbsp tomato purée (paste) added
• Few fresh thyme sprigs or 2 tsp dried
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig or ½ tsp dried
• Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 500g/1lb 1 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 500g/1lb 1 oz celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

2. Melt the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan, add the sun-dried tomato oil and onions and gently fry until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, mushrooms, pepper and sun-dried tomatoes, mix together and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the lentils and vegetable stock, stir together, taste and season before adding the thyme and rosemary.

3. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Check the consistency, and if the mixture seems too runny leave the lid off and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes to reduce (if the consistency is fine, continue cooking with lid on for 10 minutes) then remove from the heat. If using fresh thyme and rosemary, discard these at this point. Stir in the chopped parsley.

4. While the mixture is cooking, steam the potatoes and celeriac in a steamer until soft. Place in bowl and, using an electric whisk, purée to a mash with the mustard and some salt and pepper.

5. Transfer the vegetable mixture to an ovenproof dish, spread the potato mixture evenly on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes before serving.

From Coconut Oil: Recipes for Real Life. Recipe text © 2016 Lucy Bee Limited.